


You Were a Duck, Once

by randomwriter57



Series: Appreciate Ai Week 2016 [5]
Category: Free!
Genre: Ducks, Fluff, Gen, bird seed is mentioned too, chatty, feeding the ducks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-12 21:14:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5681002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomwriter57/pseuds/randomwriter57
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ai and Momo feed the ducks and have an interesting conversation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Were a Duck, Once

**Author's Note:**

> This is a bit of a silly one, but I found it really fun to write. Ai and Momo’s friendship is so sweet and fun, the pair of them are so great. Also, this is my last piece for this week. I’ve really enjoyed taking part in this event, it’s been great! Thanks for a great week!!
> 
> Written for [Appreciate Ai Week](http://appreciateai.tumblr.com) Day Six: Animals.

Sunlight dapples through the canopy of trees above their heads as they walk the path which leads to the lake. It's not often that Aiichiro has the chance to experience scenery like this, not when he lives in somewhere like Iwatobi, which is better known for its seaside views than for the local wildlife. The Samezuka team decided to come here for their last training camp before the summer ends. He's looking forward to having a relaxing afternoon by the lake, feeding the ducks and enjoying the good weather as the summer comes to a close.

Of course, the atmosphere isn't as peaceful as Aiichiro hoped (how could it be with noisy people like Momo around?), but that doesn't matter. He'll be able to find a quieter spot once they've settled at the lakeside for the day.

"Hey, Ai-senpai," Momo says, and Aiichiro's hopes fall. Perhaps he won't be finding a peaceful spot, after all. "You brought bird seed, right?"

Mentally, he thanks the person who told him that yes, there would be ducks in the pond, because he wouldn't have brought bird seed otherwise. That would have been a shame.

"Yes, why?" Aiichiro says.

Momo brightens up. "Awesome! We should feed the ducks together, Ai-senpai!"

Aiichiro smiles a little at Momo's enthusiasm. Okay, his afternoon won't be the peaceful getaway he'd hoped for, but at least he gets to spend it with his friends. If his friends are happy, that has to be the most important thing. "Okay, let's do that."

It only takes the team a few minutes to get to the lake afterwards. Immediately, Momo grabs Aiichiro's wrist and pulls him to the lakeside, in the direction of the nearest flock of ducks. He's singing something under his breath, but Aiichiro's too busy trying not to trip over to notice what he's singing about. Then, as suddenly as they started running, they stop. Momo squats and looks over the lake, grinning.

"Look at the ducks, Ai-senpai! There are so many!"

Indeed, there are a lot of ducks in the lake today, floating around and enjoying the warmth of summer. They don't seem too bothered by Momo's behaviour.

Aiichiro kneels beside Momo and pulls the bird seed from his messenger bag, handing it to Momo. "Here."

"Thanks!" Momo takes the packet and pulls out some bird seed. Then, with no aim at all, he throws it into the lake, a good few metres short of where the ducks are. None of the ducks go towards the floating seeds, instead staying at a cautious distance. Momo pouts. "That didn't work."

"You have to scatter it," Aiichiro says, taking the packet back and pulling out a handful of seeds. With more precision, he leans over the lake and scatters the seed into the water, where it joins the seed which Momo threw. This time, a few grains travel farther, and one of the ducks becomes interested. It paddles over to the seed.

"How did you do that?!" Momo says. He looks at Aiichiro with wide eyes. "Were you a duck in a past life, Ai-senpai?"

Aiichiro blinks, unsure what to make of Momo's statement. "Er. I don't know about that."

"I'm pretty sure you were," Momo says matter-of-factly. "I was actually an otter in a past life! And I'm pretty sure Rin-senpai was a shark, or else why would his teeth be like that?"

"Like what?"

"You know, like a sharks. Sharp."

Raising an eyebrow, Aiichiro just looks at Momo. He doesn't believe in rebirth - whilst it's a nice idea, he isn't sure it would be plausible in the real world. Besides, he can't tell how Momo went from him being good at feeding ducks to past lives.

Momo pouts again. "I'm being serious! They're really sharp!"

"Momo-kun, I'm sure I wasn't a duck in a past life just because I know how to feed them."

"It's not just that!" Momo raises a finger. "You can swim, so can ducks."

"So can a lot of animals."

Without answering the statement, Momo puts up a second finger. "You're pretty calm on the outside, but you're stressed and hyper where people can't see. That's like how ducks' feet swim quickly underwater, even though they look calm on top."

Aiichiro deadpans. He's not sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

"And thirdly," Momo says, putting up a third finger, "er. You're small."

"What does my height have to do with this?!"

Momo breaks out into laughter, losing his balance and falling into the grass behind them. The ducks in the lake eat the seed, ignoring the happenings on the bank.

"What's so funny?" Aiichiro says, moving to look at Momo. He still doesn't understand Momo's sense of humour.

Then, Momo sits up, smiling. "I'm being serious, though. You were a duck, once."

Aiichiro sighs. There's no use in arguing with him. "If you say so." Still, he can't help but smile a little bit. At least Momo's humour is endearing.

"You were, I swear!"

"Okay, okay," Aiichiro says, looking back out onto the lake at the ducks. Perhaps he is a little bit like the ducks, who are now looking over to the bank in curiosity. At least they seem like sensible creatures.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me at [ randomactuallywrites-57](http://randomactuallywrites-57.tumblr.com) on tumblr | [@randomwriter57](http://twitter.com/randomwriter57) on twitter!


End file.
